


Never Have I Ever Returned to the Scene of Sudden Paralyzation

by crystalkei



Series: Never Have I Ever Actually Fallen In Love [3]
Category: Never Have I Ever (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24445090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalkei/pseuds/crystalkei
Summary: Despite their kiss a few months ago, Devi had felt pretty confident that Paxton was squarely in the friend category. A lot had happened. She’d had the thing with Ben for a while but ultimately Dr. Ryan was right, boys didn’t solve problems. They made good friends though and so she had turned over a new leaf! No more boy crazy Devi! She was doing great!
Relationships: Paxton Hall-Yoshida/Devi Vishwakumar
Series: Never Have I Ever Actually Fallen In Love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761826
Comments: 44
Kudos: 131





	Never Have I Ever Returned to the Scene of Sudden Paralyzation

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, just consider that Dedicated Side B is a great listen for any of these as long as you consider that Paxton is the one pining.

McEnroe here, we’re in the pool this time. Well, I’m not in the pool. The chlorine does a number on my skin so I don’t care for pools. But Devi doesn’t mind them. Well, she doesn’t particularly like the pool at Sherman Oaks High. Not since the day her legs stopped working while she was in it. Plus the humidity in that building is off the charts. Makes it bad for her hair. We all know who does really well in that pool, though, and that’s one Southern California certified hottie, Paxton Hall-Yoshida. 

Despite their kiss a few months ago, Devi had felt pretty confident that Paxton was squarely in the friend category. A lot had happened. She’d had the thing with Ben for a while but ultimately Dr. Ryan was right, boys didn’t solve problems. They made good friends though and so she had turned over a new leaf! No more boy crazy Devi! She was doing great! 

As Devi walked into the pool building though, she was reminded that boys were for sure friends and also very hot. No literally, hot. They keep the pool building at a toasty 86F, that’s 30C for you weirdo Celsius people and did I mention the humidity? 

Devi walked over to Coach Spencer and handed him the stack of folders she’d been tasked to deliver. 

“Hey, Vishwakumar!” Paxton was motioning her over to the far side of the pool. He pulled his swim cap off and was treading water. “Practice is over, you should get in.” 

Devi laughed because he must have been joking. 

“No seriously!” His smile was growing wider by the second. 

“I’m not getting in.” 

“What are you, scared of pools? You did fall in that one time.” 

McEnroe: We all remember that time, Paxton, no need to bring it up. 

“No, I’m not scared of pools. I’m scared of this pool,” Devi said, taking a minute to pull her slowly expanding hair back into a messy bun on her head. 

“The water’s warm,” he tried. 

Devi considered it, but she remembered not being able to move her legs, using her arms to pull frantically up. “This is where I found out my legs didn’t work, dude.” 

Paxton’s face changed and he came closer to the edge of the pool. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” 

“It’s fine. It’s stupid.” Devi looked away, an exit was probably needed because she was embarrassed. 

“It’s not stupid.” Paxton offered. 

She felt pretty stupid, he was right, she’d been in other pools since. So fuck it. She slipped off her shoes and sat down on the edge, putting her legs in the water. 

Paxton pushed off the wall and went back to treading water. Was that awe on his face? Whatever. 

“The water is warm,” Devi said, best to change the subject. 

“It’s my favorite place to be.” Paxton lowered himself in the water up to his nose, then when he came back up spit some water in her direction. 

“Ew!” Devi scrunched up her face. “No offense but swimming seems kind of boring, like as a sport. You just go back and forth. That’s it.” 

“But you go back and forth  _ fast _ .” He looked like a kid when he said, all excited, his eyes wide. She’d never seen him like that. 

“Well not me, I go back and forth very slow,” Devi said, kicking out her legs a little more, getting used to the water. 

Paxton moved closer to where her legs were kicking. 

“Hey can I borrow these?” He took her feet in his hands and moved them, straightening her feet like a ballerina. “You point your toes and that makes you fast.” 

McEnroe: I swear to god, people, I saw a twinkle in his eye. 

“That’s definitely my problem. That’s why I’m slow. Thanks for the lesson,” Devi said, rolling her eyes. 

Paxton splashed her, just a little. Devi squeaked, and splashed back. 

“Hold on, I have your feet, you wanna fall in or what?” He pulled her feet so the bottoms were against his chest while he held the tops. 

“You splashed me first!” She held onto the side of the pool tighter now, adjusting her posture so she wouldn’t fall in. 

“I’m in the water, what did you expect from me?” he asked, giving her a sly smile. 

“Oh my god, give me my feet back!” 

“Can’t. I might drown.”

“The captain of the swim team is gonna drown without my feet as floatation devices?” She could feel the seat of her shorts getting wet from sitting on the side of the pool but she didn’t care. This was kind of fun. 

“Fine, I’ll give them back,” he let go of her feet and moved closer to her, right to the edge of the pool, she had to move her legs to make room for him. He grabbed her calves and put them to either side of his chest. Her naked legs were on either side of Paxton Hall-Yoshida’s naked chest. What in the fresh fuck was going on right now? 

Paxton put his own arms on either side of her thighs on the side of the pool and just kinda floated there, his arms touching her thighs, her legs on either side of his chest. And his face just a few inches below hers. 

“Did they ever figure out what was up with your legs?” he asked, his finger tapped on her thigh, and what was happening? What did he ask? Was it hot in here? 

Devi gulped, and looked away. Other people were still in this building right? She could see the guys from the swim team starting to pull lines out of the pool. Did they see this? He tapped her thigh again.    
  
“It’s cool if you don’t want to talk about it. I know it’s probably all mixed up with your dad and stuff.” 

Devi shook her head. Right. Her dad. Sure, she could talk about that. Dr. Ryan even encouraged it! 

“They never figured it out, but yeah, my therapist thinks it was something about my grief, I don’t know.” Devi looked down at him and shrugged. “Just relieved my legs started working again.” 

“Any sightings of your dad lately? In coyote form or otherwise?” 

He seemed genuinely interested and Devi was starting to reconsider her idea that Paxton was in the friend column. 

“Uh no, well, I saw him once in the fridge but it turned out it was just my uncle who was visiting from San Jose,” Devi remembered the sheer panic of the event and then remembered the rest of it. “It was the night you took me home from Ben’s party! The night you-” 

“I remember,” he cut her off. 

“You do? It was a while ago but...”   
  
“It was a busy night.” He looked away and she felt the muscles in his chest tighten against her legs. Okay, back in the friend column.    
  
“Anyways, I haven’t seen my dad since.” Devi pushed a stray hair behind her ear, the humidity was doing nothing for her look.

“No chance of you being mauled by wild animals then,” he said, glancing back up at her. He was so close. His face. So close to her face. And lips. And her lips.

McEnroe: I gotta go, this is too much sexual tension for me. 

Devi nodded. “I’m steering clear of them.” She felt like she was speaking in slow mo.

“Good.” She saw him swallow, and felt his finger tap her thigh again. Once. Twice. A third tap. Close to the frayed edge on her shorts. 

Devi leaned down, because this was happening. She’d completely misjudged everything and Paxton was into her. Boys were back on the table. Boy crazy Devi was back in business!

“Paxton, stop flirting!” Coach Spencer shouted from the other end of the pool, causing Devi to jump. “Help us pull these lines in. There’s an aqua zumba class later.” 

Paxton didn’t even look at the coach, he was still looking at her. He licked his lips. “You got it, coach!” 

He pushed off the wall, splashing Devi in the process. “Hey!” she cried. 

“We’ll be done in 10 minutes, wait and I’ll drive you home,” he said, as he moved to pull himself out of the pool next to her. 

“I’m gonna walk.” Devi didn’t know what possessed her to say that. If she let him drive her home, he might kiss her again. Or he might not. She could be wrong about the whole thing. Friends touched each other’s thighs all the time. It was totally normal. 

“You sure?” He offered her his hand to stand up but she stood up on her own. 

Standing up, feeling the blood rush back to all appropriate areas, she was sure. “Gotta make sure the legs still work. Besides, my mom is already home and I don’t really think you wanna run into her.”

Paxton picked his swim cap up off the edge of the pool so she couldn’t see his face. “I’m good to skip that. See you tomorrow.” 

And then he was hurrying off to help the other guys pull the last lane dividers out of the pool. 

And Devi was left wondering what the fuck had just happened. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Still on tumblr, and I love that I've gotten to talk to and follow yall over there! But we can talk here in comments too. There's dozens of us in this ship, DOZENS.


End file.
